Longshot
by RayOut
Summary: Two girls move into town in an attempt to escape the past. The idea was to lay low and save money, but they can't seem to accomplish that.
1. Chapter 1

Sometimes if you want to escape a bad situation, you have to do things you don't want to do. This time the thing Lynn didn't want to do, was to move to Tulsa Oklahoma, but here she was.

The old beat-up Cadillac stopped in front of the equally worn out house. The once White House was covered in dirt, the grass was overgrown and the paint chipping.

"This is it!" Joni cheered. It wasn't exactly what she expected, but you get what you pay for, And they weren't paying very much. Neither of them had been in the house yet. for all they knew, the house was an empty shell with no lights or plumbing. If the outside was any indication, they were in for a mess.

When they stepped into the house, Lynn told herself 'this could be worse.' The wooden floor could use a mop, the kitchen could use a good bleaching and she's never seen dirtier Windows. At least it smelled decent.

She went into the kitchen and out the back door. They didn't have much of a backyard, it was mostly a dirt alleyway shared by all the houses. Old rotting tires and overgrown grass was all there was.

"Stop!" A voice yelled from the other end of the alley. Just as she was about to Peak around the side of the house, a boy ran past. Several boys followed behind him, screaming and shouting. She stood there in shock for a moment watching these well-dressed boys and sweaters chase down and Tackle a young boy. He squirmed beneath them, as he tried to get away.

She was frozen, until one of them pulled out a knife. The spell was broken and she moved quickly. She picked up a discarded pipe from her own yard, and dropped it down onto one of the boy's back.

"You leave him alone!" She shouted and When she lifted the pipe for a second round, another group of boys came running down the alley. they were dressed in leather and had greased back hair. They moved quick, their fist clenched, ready for a fight.

The well-dressed sweater boys took off towards their car, and the boys from the alley chase after. She knelt down next to the boy they had been chasing, blood streamed down his neck. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her handkerchief.

"Here use this." She held it out to him. He slowly reached for it, his eyes wide and full of concern. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"I-" His voice was weak and his hands trembling.

"You alright Ponyboy." One of the other boys came and knelt down next to him. She turned around and watch the car full of boys, drive away. "They didn't hurt you too bad did they?" Asked the older boy.

The young boy looked like he was going to cry, but he was holding it in. Lynn stood up and as she did, the older boy turned his eyes to her. She became very aware of her surrounding. It was unlike her to get mixed up into other peoples problems. yet, she had barely been in the new house ten minutes and she was trying to stop a fight between two gangs.

"Lynn!" She heard Joni calling her name from the kitchen. Before the boys could say anything else, she ran all the way to the back door and into the kitchen. She could feel their Gaze on her, and hear their Whispers, but that only pushed her to move faster.

She found Joni standing in the living room, a few boxes in hand. "What were you doing?" she curiously looked into the kitchen.

"I was outside, and some of the Neighbors-" Before Lynn could finish, Joni interrupted.

"You met the neighbors? What are they like?." Joni asked. She dropped the boxes next to the couch and moved into the kitchen.

"I didn't really meet them." Lynn said softly.

"Well did you see any boys?" Joni stuck her head out the window. "I don't see anyone out here." She then ventured further out into the back yard.

Lynn let out a sigh. it was going to be interesting living with Joni. They had a lot of things in common, but their biggest difference was Joni's obsession with men. Lynn picked up the box with her name on it and carried it to the room at the end of the hall. She could still hear Joni talking as she shut her door.


	2. Chapter 2

The first day in the new house was a Sunday and Joni left for work around 11 a.m. That left Lynn with the entire house to herself. She decided to spend the entire day cleaning the kitchen. On Monday she started her new fancy secretary job, but she wanted to be able to come home to a semi clean house.

She stepped out of the house, with her purse in hand. The corner store was only a few blocks away and she was thankful it was a short walk. The neighborhood wasn't in the best condition and after watching some boy get cut up the day before, she didn't feel very safe.

After an easy uneventful walk, she reached the store. She began to walk up and down the aisles. It's true she came for cleaning supplies only, but she had time to look around.

She was strapped for cash and there was nothing new about that, but she had a weakness. A box of Cracker Jacks caught her eye. It was stupid, but she wanted them. They were sweet and salty, her favorite. She looked at them a bit too long, trying to talk her self out of buying them. 'You need that money for more important things.'She told her self.

"That's a good choice." A voice came from behind her. She turned to see a man dressed in a blue jumpsuit. It was stained with oil, and his hair was slicked back with grease. Something about him was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

He must have recognize how confused she was, and he was quick to fix it. "I think we're neighbors." He gave a small smile. "My name is Darry."

That was it, she remembered him from yesterday, he was the older boy. "My name is Lynn." She tightened her grip on the basket.

There was an awkward silence between the two, and neither of them knew what to say next.

"I just wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday." Darry finally broke the silence.

Her lips formed an 'Oh', but no sound came out. She looked between the basket, an Shelf with the cracker Jacks.

"I'll make sure you get your handkerchief back. Just as soon as I get it clean." He nervously ran his hand through his hair. She wondered if he was normally like this or was it just her awkward personality that made him uncomfortable.

"That's all right." She let out a nervous laugh. "It's really not that important." She truthfully didn't care if she got it back.

"No, I'll get it back to you." He lifted up a bottle of tonic water from his basket. "A little bit of this with some ice and those stains will come right out."

"Okay, sounds good." she said, looking back down at her own basket. "Thank you."

"No, thank you!" He was quick to respond. "Well I'll let you get back to shopping, just remember if you need anything feel free to stop by." She couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Same to you!" She awkwardly blurted out, as if she had the skills to help anyone.

He went to the checkout leaving her to make a Mad Dash to the cleaning supply section. She had moved to this town to lay low for a wile and save up some money. At the moment she was doing the opposite. not only did she give her name out, but she bought bleach and the box of cracker jacks.


	3. Chapter 3

She was halfway through scrubbing the kitchen when she decided to take a break. The girls had an arrangement not to smoke in the house. Joni herself smoked, but both agreed it belonged out side.

She stepped out into the alleyway behind the house. Light from the kitchen window flooded the alley. She sat down on the dead grass and lit up a cigarette. It was decently quiet outside, she could hear the neighbors dogs bark and the occasional car drive by.

It was a peaceful moment, until she heard the rustling of leaves. She jumped to her feet stumbling a bit.

"Wait!" A young boys stepped into the light. "Sorry." He whispered.

"For what?" She asked. As she studied the young boy she noticed a cut on his cheek and his bloody lip.

"I was just seeing if my friends were home." He said in a tiny voice. He pointed down the alley and she looked in the direction he had come. Every house was dark and he was alone.

"Were they home?" She asked, taking a nervous drag of her cigarette.

"No." He said flatly, as he kick the dirt beneath his feet. Looking at the cut on his face and his dirty jacket, Something in her gut told her not to let him leave.

"Well, do you want to wait here for them?" He looked up at her in shock

"Really?" He asked.

"My name is Lynn, what's your's?" She became more confident. It was rare she found someone shyer then her.

"Johnny " He said.

"Do you want to come in? I have leftover spaghetti in the fridge." He was hesitant for a moment and it looked like he was going to run, but then he Shrugged.

"Alright." He said. She lead him into the kitchen, and headed straight for the fridge. She pulled out the spaghetti, dumped it back into the same pan she had used before and turned on the stove.

She turn back to him. He was still in the doorway, unsure of himself. She was going to ask him to sit when she realized. "We don't have a kitchen table yet." She was shocked, she'd forgotten they didn't have one. "But you can sit on the couch." She pointed to the living room, to the old beat-up couch that came with the house. He gave a small smile and headed into the living room.

It didn't take her long to heat up the spaghetti. She dumped it into the only other Bowl they had and pulled the last Fork out of the drawer.

"Here you go." He took the bowl and didn't hesitate to begin eating. "Is it warm enough." She asked.

"Yeah, it's good." He said between bites. She stood awkwardly in her own living room for a moment. She didn't normally have guests over and didn't know what you were supposed to do once they were here.

"So..." She tried to break the silence. "Where do your friends live?" Johnny quickly wiped the red sauce from his mouth onto the sleeve of his jacket. "About three houses down. You just moved in?"

She look to where the kitchen table should have been, a pile of boxes was in its place. "Yeah we haven't gotten settled yet. Speaking of I got to go back to cleaning the kitchen." She moved back to the sink.

"Do you need any help?" Johnny asked.

"No, no, that's okay. I'm just cleaning up." She began to scrub the black residue out of the sink. An hour went by and she was finally done. She hadn't hared a peep from Johnny the entire time.

When she finished putting everything away, she went back into the living room. Johnny was sitting up, but his chin was on his chest and he was fast asleep. She thought about waking him, but decided against it, he looked like he had a long day. Eventually she went to her own room.

She tried to stay awake long enough to talk to Joni, but she never heard the car pull up. Eventually she fell asleep, unable to fight the urge.


	4. Chapter 4

"Wake up!" Joni was on the edge of the bed shaking her awake. "There is a boy in our living room!"

Lynn rolled over and looked at the clock it was 6 a.m. "Did you just get home?" She looked up at Joni, her face was beet red.

Joni placed her hands on her hips. "Are you not worried about the boy."

"No, I let him stay over." Lynn rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh." Joni ran her tongue along her teeth. "It's good to see you're making friends." They both knew it was out of character for Lynn to 'make friends', but Joni didn't mind the change.

"You didn't answer me, where have you been?" Lynn sat up.

"I stayed at my parents house one last time." Joni went into the bathroom at the end of the hall. Lynn could hear the water start up and the door close. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep,she had to go to work in an hour.

She grudgingly crawled out of bed and tiptoed down the Hall. Sure enough, the boy was fast asleep on the couch. Lynn made her way to the kitchen, it was still as clean as she had left it the night before. She pulled out a pan and the eggs from the fridge.

"Hey." Johnny said, he stood in the doorway. "Sorry I fell asleep." He rubbed the back of his head.

"It's cool, do you want something to eat."

"No, I have school." He slowly inched his way to the door. "I had better get going."

"Alright well let me know if you need anything." There she goes again offering to help people, when she could barely help herself. He headed out and whispered a final goodbye before shutting the door. She ate a quick breakfast and then made the arduous 40 minute walk to work.

The next four days went by fast, but also uneventful. The office she worked at was fast pace, but by the time Friday rolled around she was use to it.

She walked into the house and dropped her bag on the floor. She pulled off her Converse, and kicked them into the corner. There was no way she could walk home in heels, so she wore them to and from work.

She fell back onto the couch with a thud. She looked down at her feet, blisters had begun to form on her toes. She wasn't use to the black heels, at her old jobs their was never a uniform, but her new job she had to dress to impress. All she wanted to do was soak in the bath for an hour and then go to bed.

"You're home!" Joni came down the hall, a beer in hand.

"Hi." Lynn laid back on the couch, she was trying to convince herself to get up.

Jodi sat down next to her. "Hey Lynn? " Lynn looked at her from the corner of her eye. She knew the next few words out of Joni's mouth were going to be bad. She normally said what she was thinking. She didn't need to preface it with a question, unless she was trying to ease into something. "Let's go out." Joni said bluntly.

"Please, not to night." Lynn let out a sigh. "Look at my feet!" She gestured to her swollen feet.

Joni lifted up her beer. "If you drink this you'll be fine."

"I don't think-" Lynn began to argue.

Joni push the bottle into her hand. "Just a few sips and then we can go see a movie." She was headed to her room and Lynn was still trying to convince herself to move. "Com'on, it's your favorite, it's a beach movie!"

Joni disappeared into her room and Lynn sipped on the beer, never thinking much about it. At some point, she found the strength to go change. She put on a pair of jeans and a jean jacket to match, but besides that she did little to her appearance.

When she went back to the living room, Joni was in the kitchen drinking another beer. "How are your feet?"

"They're better." Lynn sat back on the couch.

"Here have another beer." She pulled a new bottle out of the fridge and pop the cap off. Lynn had never been a drinker, but Joni was right, after a half bottle she felt a lot better.

After another beer, Lynn was in a happier state of mind. When they left the house she was feeling pretty good about herself. Her feet didn't hurt and she was really excited about the movie.

The drive-in theater was already crowded when they arrived. They sat towards the back, and it didn't take Joni long to find a boy. She was making eyes at a young man a few seats up. He had dark brown hair and a leather jacket, definitely Joni's type. Lynn didn't mind if her friend left her, she had paid for her ticket. So if she wanted to swap Spit with some stranger, that meant Lynn was able to watch the movie in peace.

A quarter of the way through the movie, Joni leaned in and whispered something about meeting new friends. Lynn waved her away, at this point the two beers had taken their toll on her and she was in a haze. Another 30 minutes went by and that gross stomach pain kicked in. She wasn't going to throw up, at least not yet. She needed to get home and soon. In her hazy state of mind, she didn't even think about telling Joni. She wondered off into the crowd, towards the exit.

She was out of the drive-in, and a few blocks away when she needed to take a break. Her head was spinning and her stomach twisted. 'Only a moment,' she told herself, but time is hard to keep track of when you're drunk. She might have been there all night if it wasn't for Johnny and his friend.

"Lynn?" Johnny called. She looked up to see him and a taller dark-haired boy.

"You know her?" The dark haired boy asked, tucking a cigarette behind his ear.

"Yeah," Johnny paused a moment, wondering how he could explain who she was. "She's a neighbor of the Curtis's."

The older boy leaned in close, looking her up and down. "She's drunk." He stated. If Lynn was in a better state she would have argued with him, but at this point she could barely stand.

"You think we could walk her home?" Johnny asked.

"That's not my job." The boy remarked.

"Com'on Dally, she's a good person." Johnny urged.

The older boy let out a sigh. "Com'on." He placed a hand on her waist, but she could no longer walk. She drop to her knees and Dally let out an aggravated grunt. "Help me get her on my back." He knelt down in front of her and Johnny used all of his strength to lift her up. The heavy smell of beer surrounded him, as she laid her head on his shoulder. When they were sure she wasn't going to fall, they began to walk.

"You know which house is hers?" Dally asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"Yeah." Johnny muttered trying not to anger him more.


End file.
